Blake Ferguson copped a slamming during Parramatta’s semi-final loss to Penrith for appearing to milk a penalty, with the veteran Eels winger remaining down following what looked like an innocuous crusher tackle.
Referee Ashley Klein awarded the Eels a penalty when Ferguson stayed down after a Mitch Kenny tackle in the 45th minute of the Stadium Mackay clash.
And not only did the crusher tackle appear very minor, suspicion grew when Ferguson sprung off the ground as soon as the referee blew his whistle to award the penalty.
READ MORE: Shayna Jack’s coach warns ‘she wants some revenge’ after being cleared to return to competition
Ferguson fired up at Kenny and an all-in scuffle broke out, before replays triggered backlash from Nine’s commentators.
“The crusher tackle wasn’t as serious as he was making it out to be,” Eels legend Peter Sterling said.
“It’s a bad look.”
READ MORE: One big missing piece of the puzzle for Canterbury Bulldogs, Andrew Johns says
Caller Mat Thompson added: “That is ridiculous.”
Sterling said: “That’s not a penalty.”
READ MORE: Blues refuse to give up on Alastair Clarkson as long-time Geelong chief executive joins the club
Storm icon Cameron Smith thought Ferguson had pulled off a brilliant acting performance.
“There wasn’t much in that one, boys,” Smith said.
“I think Fergy milked that a beauty.
“But I’ll tell ya what: the emotions are high between these two football sides.”
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!
The highest paid NRL players of the 2021 finals series
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
